


Night Creatures

by leaffall



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: (except ardyn), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Everyone Is Alive, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence, Post-Time Skip, Shapeshifter Gladiolus Amicitia, Siren Prompto Argentum, Vampire Ignis Scientia, Vampire Noctis Lucis Caelum, here comes the self indulgence yeehaw, there'll be f/f ships later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-23 12:46:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16619243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leaffall/pseuds/leaffall
Summary: Ignis finds himself coping with a rather peculiar malady. Modern, everyone lives, fantasy AU.





	1. Paperwork

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this late at night, so if there's any mistakes i'd appreciate someone letting me know! i don't have a beta writer to catch them for me. i hope you enjoy this very self indulgent bs!

Ignis could feel himself changing slowly. It’d been two weeks since he’d been bitten-walking home in the dark had been a bad choice. His canines growing sharper was the first and fastest change, and the rest would take another week or two. He’d grown physically stronger as well, an adaptation to capture his meals. Ignis swore to himself that he would never feed from a human being, surviving only on animal blood. Gladio told him that his eye was beginning to be ringed with silver, the change that would take the longest.

  
He had resigned himself to his fate-he’d won the fight, but was bitten in the process. He could no longer serve Noctis, he could no longer stroll the town in the daylight with Gladio. It was the sunlight he missed the most, the radiant warmth of it.

  
Breaking himself out of his musings, he checked his phone for the time-10:30pm, it read to him. Gladio would be home soon. Their schedules conflicted greatly-Gladio was busy at the palace during the daylight. Ignis did not have to sleep at all, and Gladio slept at night. Again trying to stop his mind from running, Ignis began making dinner for his husband, a dinner he could eat but that he would get no nutrition from.

  
Searching around the refrigerator and cupboards, Ignis realized he didn’t have the ingredients for the meal he’d wanted. He decided to settle for a simple vegetable stir fry instead. Ignis listened to music as he cooked; sad, haunting tunes that Noctis had recommended him. He listened to music much more often now that he had the time, and he’d asked many people to share their favorites with him. Noctis listened to a little bit of every genre, so long as the singer seemed their heart was bursting at the seams over some long-ago loss. Prompto listened to electronic music exclusively, and Gladio preferred dad rock. Lunafreya had sent him links to her own music, gorgeous piano melodies that she poured her soul into. He hadn’t even known she wrote her own music.

  
Once the meal was finished cooking, he went to the cabinet where he and Gladio kept their plates, removing two and setting the table. Silverware was another matter, as Gladio had a habit of not putting it back in the same place after washing it-forks would be mixed in with spoons, knives with butter spreaders, and so on. Ignis had received a few cuts from the latter, not that it mattered now. Any injuries he’d received since being bitten had healed abnormally quickly, leaving not even a scar. Ignis silently wished that whatever gave him this healing ability would have healed his eyesight as well.

  
Sorting out the silverware, Ignis placed that on the table alongside the plates. The stir fry he’d made smelled good, it just didn’t smell like... food, he supposed. Food to him now smelled more like a perfume might to a human; pleasant, but not something you’d want to eat. Eating was the same-pleasant, but not the same as when he was human. as Ignis was pulling glasses out of a cabinet to place on the table, he heard Gladio’s car pull up. He smiled, hoping Gladio had brought home some bit of gossip from the palace.

  
When the two of them had finished eating, Ignis got ready to head to the palace to do what he could during its quiet hours. Knowing Noctis, he’d left a mountain of paperwork unfinished before going to bed. Despite his blindness, Ignis could still forge the king’s signature perfectly. At the very least, hopefully Noctis had sent someone in to help Ignis to put things where they went properly. He’d had trouble finding anyone willing to help him in the past two weeks. Although everyone trusted that a man who was willing to bargain to use the Ring of the Lucii for good to be able to control his bloodlust, they were all naturally wary of vampires. As it should be, Ignis thought. He knew he could control himself, and living off the blood of beasts didn’t sound too awful when the alternative was humans or starving.

  
As Ignis approached the palace, a familiar voice called out to him-Prompto. Of course Prompto was here. Ignis walked in the direction his voice had come from, able to see him as a blur once he wandered under a street light. The two of them talked for a bit as they walked to Noct’s work room. Unsurprisingly, there was a good sized stack of papers on his desk, which Ignis began signing with Prompto’s help. He listened to Prompto talk as he worked, chiming in when he needed to, but mostly he let Prompto talk. His voice wasn’t as enchanting now that Ignis had turned, but it was to be expected that a vampire wasn’t susceptible to a siren’s voice.

  
Nearly two hours later, Ignis signed the last document Noctis had left behind. Prompto offered to drive him home, adding that if Ignis wanted he’d get him something to eat. Ignis opened his mouth to remind Prompto that he didn’t eat food anymore, but before he could speak Prompto did.

  
“Iggy, I know that us swinging by McDonald’s would be dumb, don’t worry!” Prompto’s voice made Ignis understand that he meant getting Ignis something he could eat.

“Yes, it would be silly,” Ignis stated, “I’d much rather get home as soon as possible, unless you’d like me to accompany you whilst you get something to eat?”

Prompto told him that he wasn’t hungry. He drove Ignis home, asking him to say hello to Gladio when he woke up. Ignis promised he would, knowing he’d be awake when Gladio got up in the morning. He went into his bedroom to get a change of clothes, taking care not to wake up his husband. Ignis made his way to their bathroom, deciding to take a shower rather than just changing clothes. He’d gotten in the habit of taking his showers as hot as possible, letting the warmth flow into him. It wasn’t like the scalding water would do any lasting damage.

  
Stepping into the shower, Ignis absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder where he’d been bitten. The scar was jagged due to the way he’d been struggling against the vampire thad had attacked him. As he thought back to that night, remembering how the vampire had overpowered him, how he’d been bitten and drank from, how he’d finally managed to free an arm to plunge a dagger into his assailant’s heart, how he didn’t have the strength to stand and called Gladio in his hazy state, thinking he was dying and wanting to talk to him one more time… Panic overtook him, all the feelings of that night and the days that followed coming to him at once. He could feel the teeth biting into his shoulder, he could feel the vampire’s arms holding him still, he could feel everything from that night all over again. Ignis realized he was crying. His legs gave out, and he crumpled in a heap onto the shower floor, the water still running over him.


	2. Obligations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was not expecting to get another chapter done so quickly! another fairly short one, but i haven't written outside of school in years, so i'm warming back up to it. enjoy!  
> "mihigna ki" means "my husband" in lakota! im only projecting a little i swear-

Gladio awoke to the chiming of his phones alarm. Still mostly asleep, he fumbled to turn it off, annoyed by the sound. Once he was more awake, he made his way into the kitchen, getting himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. His phone vibrated on the table-Noctis, reminding him that there was an important meeting that day. As if he’d forget. He wished that Ignis would be at his side, but it was too risky for Ignis to be outside in the daylight. Gladio sent off a text to Noctis saying he’d be sure to remember and that he wouldn’t be late.

When he had finished eating, Gladio returned to his bedroom and pulled one of his suits out of his and Ignis’ closet. He hated having to wear a suit, but today was a meeting day, not a day where he taught people how to fight. Walking past a mirror hung on the wall on his way out of the room, Gladio decided that he should probably have shorter, less chaotic hair for this meeting. More professional, less ‘I belong in a rock band, not a palace.’ He watched as his hair quickly morphed to the shorter style he was imagining, and just because he could he decided to make his eyes a vibrant gold for the occasion. If there was one benefit of being a polymorph, it was saving money on haircuts.

From outside the bathroom door, Gladio could hear the water running. Ignis must have decided to take a shower, which explained why he hadn’t been in bed reading when Gladio woke up as he had been for the past two weeks. When he opened the door, he saw through the frosted glass of the shower that Ignis was sitting on the floor of it. At first, he didn’t think anything of it as Ignis often sat in the shower rather than standing. Just over the sound of the water, Gladio could hear Ignis sobbing. He hung his suit on a hook on the inside of the door and slid open the shower door, seeing that his husband was indeed crying, his face in his hands. Gladio reached in to shut off the water-it was cold, although Ignis had twisted the knob all the way over on hot. How long had he been in there?

“ _Mihigna ki_? Are you alright?”

Ignis didn’t answer. Had he had another panic attack? Gladio knelt down, gently placing his hand on Ignis’ shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. After a moment, Ignis picked up his head and Gladio could tell that he’d been crying for quite some time. It was another panic attack. He took Ignis’ hands in his own and got ready to help him stand.

“Sweetheart, come on, let’s get you dried off and into some fresh clothes,” Gladio said in a soothing tone. “You’ll feel much better then.”

Ignis nodded as he stood up with Gladio’s help. He was freezing from spending so much time in that cold shower. With a pang, Gladio realized that even if Ignis realized how cold he was, it wouldn’t hurt him. Vampires are accustomed to the cold. Still, he grabbed a towel from a shelf and wrapped it around Ignis. The two of them walked across the hall into their room, where Ignis stood wordlessly while Gladio got him some comfortable clothes to put on. After Ignis got dressed, Gladio asked him if he needed to talk about anything. He nodded, and began speaking in a soft voice.

“I-I… I feel it all over again sometimes,” Ignis said, trying to sort out his thoughts. “Usually it’s not so bad and I know it hasn’t been that long but I still… I still can’t…”

“Iggy, I understand. Something bad happened to you, something traumatic. It makes sense you’re a little bit fucked up over it.” Gladio brushed Ignis’ hair away from his eyes. Noticing the silver in his open eye made Gladio’s heart hurt. He’d been through so much.

“I-yeah. I haven’t talked about it, I didn’t even talk about it when I broke down last time but I… I don’t dream, because I don’t sleep. Yet whenever I let my mind wander I just think back to that night and sometimes I can fight off the bad thoughts and sometimes even just touching the scar brings them all rushing in. I want to feel even a little normal again, I want to be able to go outside and feel the sunlight again.” Ignis rubbed his shoulder, and turned his head toward Gladio. “It’s too much for me, love. I’ve been prepared so many times to give my life and I’ve come close to it a few times but this came from nowhere. I-” Ignis cut off, suddenly having to choke back tears.

“Iggy, if you’re not ready to-”

“No, I am,” Ignis interjected. “It’s time I talk.”

Ignis reached under the bed and brought out a box. Gladio recognized it immediately; it was the box Iggy kept his daggers in when he was home. Normally the box was on the table by their front door, but Ignis had moved it under the bed after he’d turned. He didn’t need them as often now. As he opened the box, Gladio could see tears begin to fall again from Ignis’ face. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible.

“I didn’t want to die, I wasn’t ready. I almost didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you, or anyone. And now I… Now I can’t die unless someone stakes me in the heart, and now I’m a monster.”

With that, Gladio bear-hugged Iggy. He’d known Ignis nearly all his life and hell, they’d been married for nearly five years now. He’d always had a hard time opening up fully, and Gladiolus had seen more genuine fear and sadness from him in the past two weeks than he had in all the other years he’d know Ignis. He was hurting badly, and Gladio was suddenly very angry with himself for not being home more. After today’s meeting, he’d take some time off.

Half an hour later, the two of them were seated at their kitchen table, sipping at the coffee in front of them that Ignis had made. He’d calmed down greatly, and was able to better tell Gladio what had been going through his mind the past two weeks. He listened intently as Iggy explained his fear in the moment he was attacked, and the fear when he woke up later in a hospital and could tell he was no longer the same, that he was now a vampire. Soon enough, it was time for him to leave, although a big part of him didn’t want to. Ignis urged him to go to the meeting, saying that he was fine and that Gladio would be home soon enough, and if anything happened he’d call. Gladio said that if anything did happen while he was gone and Ignis didn’t call, he’d polymorph himself into what he’d look like when he’s 90 years old. Ignis laughed at this, saying that no matter what Gladio looked like, he’d love him all the same.


	3. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since the last chapter, i've talked to a friend and decided to make noctis a vampire as well, instead of a mage.  
> another short late night update! enjoy!

Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto, and Noctis had decided to get together and go out to eat since everyone’s schedule had lined up to allow them to. It was of course after dark, given Ignis and Noct’s being vampires. They’d all agreed on a small diner they frequented years ago. Ignis had ordered only coffee, but this particular diner offered unlimited refills on it. Prompto, trying to be funny, had joked that Ignis should order a burger where the meat had been cooked five seconds on either side. The cook behind the bar had stiffened at this comment, realizing why Prompto had said that. He turned to them and said that Noctis was one thing, but he wasn’t going to have any old vampire just waltz into his restaurant. Prompto instantly spoke over him.

“There’s no reason he can’t be in there, is there? Let the guy drink his coffee and talk to his friends, there’s no harm in that!” Ignis could tell he’d turned his siren charm up for that one, and the cook turned back to the grill to make their food.

“Thank you, Prompto.” Ignis suddenly didn’t feel like drinking his coffee. He set it aside for the time being. Prompto’s demeanor instantly went back to his usual bubbly self. 

“Oh, Specs, you gotta see this-I mean, you can’t see it but I’ll read it to you, you know what I mean! Get this, Luna and Cindy are gonna get married! It’s about time they did, they’re the only ones out of the original squad that haven’t tied the knot yet. Here, the message Luna sent me says ‘wedding on the 25th of next month, get a suit ready! Yellow heart emoji purple heart emoji.’ I’m so excited!’’ Ignis could tell that Prompto was practically jumping up and down at the news from his tone.

“Prompto sweetheart, I’m sure that Luna sent a text to Iggy too, you goon,” Noctis’ tone was playful. “He’s not totally blind.”

“She didn’t send me anything, actually. I did receive a phone call, however!” Ignis turned to Noct and gave him a sly smile. “I’m happy for the two of them.”

“Just don’t knock over the ice sculpture this time, if there is one!” Gladio gave Prompto a playful nudge as he joked. Prompto feigned falling off his seat, eliciting a laugh from Ignis and the others. Prompto swore he’d be more careful this time.

The cook gave Gladio and Prompto their food, and the two of them ate as they talked. Ignis was glad they’d all had time to get together like this, he’d needed the company. He asked the waitress for a fresh cup of coffee, deciding not to let his money go to waste. Ignis stayed silent as his friends and husband talked, preferring to listen to them. He noticed that Noctis was stealing some of Prompto’s fries, rather than ordering his own. Some things never changed.

Noctis was the one to say they should all head home, jokingly saying that those who needed to sleep should get some. Ignis took everyone’s bills and paid them despite their protests, saying that this time was his treat. When the four of them headed out of the diner, Noctis pulled Ignis aside, waving Prompto away to their car. Gladio told Ignis he’d be waiting in the car.

“Specs, if you ever need to talk, I’m a phone call or a fifteen minute walk away. If you need anything at all, just let me know, alright?” Noctis held out a piece of paper to Ignis, which he took. “Here’s the number of a butcher shop that sells blood to people like us. You haven’t fed since you turned, have you?”

“I haven’t, no. Thank you, Noctis, I’ve been rather wary of simply walking into a business and asking if they’d collect some for me, and I haven’t had a chance to go hunting for myself yet.”

“Call them tomorrow. Ask for whoever’s the manager then and tell them I sent you, and they’ll get you down as someone to call when they’ve gotten everything together for that week. You can call them if you need to feed before they call you to let you know you can pick up your share for the week.” Noctis placed a hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “Iggy, I mean it when I say that if you need anything, I’ll help as best I can.”

Ignis thanked him and said he would. The two of them walked to their cars to go home with their husbands. Gladio drove he and Ignis home, and during the short drive the two of them talked about Cindy and Lunafreya’s wedding. Once they were home and inside, Gladio gave Ignis a goodnight kiss and said he’d see him in the morning. As the night wore on, Ignis decided he’d clean to fill the hours.

Soon enough, it was nearly time for Gladio to wake up, so Ignis carefully opened the door to their bedroom and laid down next to him. In his sleep, Gladio rolled over and wrapped Ignis into a bear hug, mumbling nonsense. Careful not to wake him, Ignis brushed the hair out of his face and spent the few minutes until Gladio’s alarm went off just looking at him.


End file.
